When media is streamed over a network, that media is generally transmitted in packets. Ideally, the recipient of the streamed media sees the media as continuous. However, if the packets are lost or delayed, the media display may not be smooth or may pause until additional packets are received.
Algorithms exist to dynamically adapt the encoding rate of the media being streamed, and some of such algorithms are based on detected packet loss and packet delay. In general, if packet delay or loss is deemed to be too high, an adaption algorithm will adjust the encoding rate downward. As a result, the media quality may be reduced as received by the recipient, but the media display may occur more smoothly. These adaption algorithms are designed for static network conditions, where changes in packet loss and delay are fairly persistent. The algorithms do not perform well in mobile environments, as a result of the bursty nature of packet loss and delay due to outages.